1. (干的)稻草，麦秆，禾秆
    Straw consists of the dried, yellowish stalks from crops such as wheat or barley.

    e.g. The barn was full of bales of straw...
           谷仓里堆满了成捆的稻草。
    e.g. I stumbled through mud to a yard strewn with straw.
           我跌跌撞撞地趟过泥地来到一个堆满麦秆的场院。

2. (喝饮料用的)吸管
    A straw is a thin tube of paper or plastic, which you use to suck a drink into your mouth.

    e.g. ...a bottle of lemonade with a straw in it.
           一瓶插着吸管的柠檬水

3. 抓救命稻草;采取极端措施;作绝望的挣扎
    If you are clutching at straws or grasping at straws, you are trying unusual or extreme ideas or methods because other ideas or methods have failed.

    e.g. ...a badly thought-out scheme from a Government clutching at straws.
           政府情急之下采取的考虑欠周的计划

4. 压垮骆驼的最后一根稻草;最终使人不堪忍受的事
    If an event is the last straw or the straw that broke the camel's back, it is the latest in a series of unpleasant or undesirable events, and makes you feel that you cannot tolerate a situation any longer.

    e.g. For him the Church's decision to allow the ordination of women had been the last straw...
           教会同意授给女性神职的决定使他终于忍无可忍。
    e.g. Then came the recession. Revenues dropped, but the straw to break the camel's back was the war.
           之后出现了经济衰退，财政收入下降，但致命的打击还是那场战争。

5. 下下签;苦差
    If you draw the short straw, you are chosen from a number of people to perform a job or duty that you will not enjoy.

    e.g. ...if a few of your guests have drawn the short straw and agreed to drive others home after your summer barbecue.
           如果你的一些客人不幸被抓了壮丁，同意在夏日烧烤野餐结束后开车把其他人送回家

6. 迹象;苗头;征兆
    If you say that an incident or piece of news is a straw in the wind, you mean that it gives an indication of what might happen in the future.

    e.g. The latest straw in the wind is a pick-up in sales among the nation's retail giants.
           最新的迹象是该国几家零售巨头的销售额有所上升。